The present invention relates to a system for monitoring the water consumption and energy use of water consuming devices and monitoring the energy use of water operated heating and cooling devices in multi-unit building complexes where the individual units are supplied water from a common source and more particularly to a system which will calculate the water consumption and water related energy use of the individual units so that water, sewer and energy costs can be fairly apportioned to the units to encourage conservation. The invention also relates to monitoring unusual water usage to detect leaks and open valves.
The individual units of a multi-unit building such as an apartment building are supplied water from a common source (the outlet of the building water meter). The water inlet is split into hot and cold water lines with the hot water line passing through a heater (typically there are separate hot water and heating boilers) which heat the water to the required temperature. In conventional construction, multiple vertical risers supply stacked bathrooms, kitchens and heating/cooling devices. As a result the water supplied to an individual unit can not be metered without substantial, very costly, plumbing infrastructure changes.
It is an object of the present invention to measure the water consumption and the water heat energy use in an individual unit in a multi-unit building so that the individual unit can be assigned responsibility therefor without substantial plumbing infrastructure changes.
It is another object of the present invention to monitor the condition of a water consuming structure so that leaks can be serviced and erroneously open lines can be closed.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following portion of this specification and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate in accordance with the mandate of the patent statutes a presently preferred embodiment incorporating the teachings of the present invention.